-
What
Xterasys products do I need to establish a wired and/or a
wireless network? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
-
Wired Network
-
Wireless Network
-
What's the
difference between a crossover cable and a straight cable? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
The wiring in
crossover and straight cables are different. The two types
of cable have different purposes for different LAN
configurations. EIA/TIA 568A/568B define the wiring
standards and allow for two different wiring color codes
as illustrated in the following diagram.
-
Why can't I
browse any computers on the network? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Please perform the
following procedure to correct the problem:
-
In Control Panel
-> System -> Device Manager -> Network Adapters, check
the status of NIC. If the status is OK, go to step b. If
not, please remove the existing driver and re-install
it.
-
In Control Panel
-> Network, check the protocol you installed. Is the
protocol the same as other computers (I.E. NETBEUI)? If
not, please change the protocol to match the other
systems on the network.
-
In Control Panel
-> Network, click "File and Print Sharing" and select "I
want to be able to give other access to my files". The
item "File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks"
will be added into the list of network protocols.
-
Restart the PC,
then you should be able to browse the other computers on
the network.
-
How do I connect
two computers without buying a hub? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
You can connect two
computers directly to each other by using what is called a
crossover cable. This type of cable can be readily
purchased at most computer supply stores.
Just connect your network cards directly with a crossover
cable and configure your network.
You can also connect 2 or more computers together using
wireless adapters without an access point. You will need
to set them to
Ad-Hoc mode.
-
What type of cable do I
use? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
The following
connections require a Crossover Cable:
-
Computer to
Computer
-
Computer to
Uplink Port
-
Computer to
Access Point
-
Computer to Print
Server
-
Computer/XBOX/PS2
to DWL-810
-
Computer/XBOX/PS2
to DWL-900AP+
-
Uplink Port to
Uplink Port (hub/switch)
-
Normal Port to
Normal Port (hub/switch)
The following
connections require a Straight Cable:
-
Computer to
Residential Gateway/Router
-
Computer to
Normal Port (hub/switch)
-
Access Point to
Normal Port (hub/switch)
-
Print Server to
Normal Port (hub/switch)
-
Uplink Port to
Normal Port (hub/switch)
{Rule of Thumb:
"If there is a link light, the cable is right."}
-
How to share my C:\ drive? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
-
Step 1:
From the main desktop screen, double click on My
Computer.
-
Step 2:
Right click on the drive you want to share (e.g. C:).
-
Step 3:
Click on the Sharing tab.
-
Step 4:
Click the Shared As radio button.
-
Step 5:
Click OK all the way back to the desktop screen. Your
drive is now shared.
-
Will USB replace
Ethernet as an alternative for home networking? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
No. Although
USB is capable of providing a direct connection between
multiple PCs, it is not intended as a replacement for
networking. It has cable length limitation far shorter
than Ethernet or Fast Ethernet at only 5 meters compared
to 100 meters for Ethernet. USB networking schemes only
connect a limited number of computers. Bandwidth in USB is
shared among all connected devices. These are but a few of
the issues that still make Ethernet a more desirable
choice for home networking.
-
What IP address can be used
as "private"? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
The following
paragraph is quoted from RFC1918: Address Allocation for
Private Internet:
Private Address Space:
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has
reserved the following three blocks of the IP address
space for private internets:
-
10.0.0.0 -
10.255.255.255 (10/8 prefix)
-
172.16.0.0 -
172.31.255.255 (172.16/12 prefix)
-
192.168.0.0 -
192.168.255.255 (192.168/16 prefix)
You can select one
of the IP address listed above. For example, you can use
the 192.168.100.x/255.255.255.0 for your private use.
-
Can I connect a
hub or switch to my router to add more computers? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Yes. You can
connect a hub or switch to any of the LAN ports to expand
your network. Generally you will connect a
straight-through cable from one of the LAN ports of the
router to the uplink port of your hub and switch. If you
do not have an uplink port, then use a cross-over cable.
-
What channel should I
use on my 802.11b Wireless devices? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
In the 802.11b
(2.4Ghz) standard there are 11 channels (US) to choose
from, all but three of those channels are overlapping
channels. Channels 1, 6, and 11 are the only
non-overlapping channels. The channels can be changed to
avoid interference from other wireless devices that run on
the 2.4 GHz frequency range (I.E. 2.4Ghz cordless phones
and X-10).
-
What is
the maximum distance between station and access point? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
The maximum
distance is 300ft for indoor environment, and 900ft for
outdoor environment.
-
How do I configure my
router to always stay connected to the Internet? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
-
For DSL:
Most DSL connections use PPPoE. When the gateway is
configured for a PPPoE broadband service, there will be
an Idle time field on the Setup page. Enter the value
for Idle time as 0. This will allow the gateway to never
Time Out, and always stay connected to the internet.
-
For Cable:
Most Cable Internet connections use a Dynamic IP
address. On the Setup page of the web configuration,
check the box for Renew IP Forever. When the lease time
on your IP address is up, the gateway will automatically
request a new IP address from the ISP.
-
What is the
maximum length of Category 3, 4 or 5 twisted pair cable
that can be used between computers and other devices such
as hubs, switches, other computers, etc.? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
The maximum length
of Category 3, 4 or 5 twisted pair cable that can be used
between computers and other devices on a network is 100
meters or about 328 feet. Keep in mind that this is a
theoretical limit. Usually, you will want to keep the
distance between devices well below the limit.
-
What is the
maximum number of nodes which can be supported in
Infrastructure mode? How about Ad-Hoc mode? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
In theory, in
Infrastructure mode, a maximum of 2048 wireless nodes can
be supported. In ad-hoc mode, a maximum of 256 wireless
nodes can be supported. Please keep in mind that ad-hoc
mode has additional overhead and the more nodes which are
used, the lower the amount of available bandwidth will be.
For applications which are bandwidth intensive, such as
games and multimedia, 6 to 8 nodes would be optimum in
achieving adequate network performance.
-
Why won't
my computer boot up after installing your network adapter? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
-
Problem:
The reason could be that your computer is experiencing
an IRQ (Interrupt Request) conflict, meaning, after the
network adapter was physically installed in your
computer it may have been assigned an IRQ that was
already in use by another device. PCI cards can share
IRQs for the most part, however, network adapters
usually cause conflicts when sharing IRQs with other
devices.
The network adapter and the other device both try to get
the attention or "interrupt" the processor (CPU) at the
same time. This "confuses" the processor, and may cause
it to lock up (freeze) or keep the computer from booting
all the way up.
-
Solution:
The simplest way to try to fix this problem is to shut
down your computer, unplug the power cord and move the
network adapter to a different, available slot inside
your computer.
Reconnect the power cable to your computer and restart.
-
Why does 100Mbps NIC
have worse performance than a 10Mbps? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
If the NIC is not
defective and can be installed correctly on the operating
system, it could be a wiring problem. 10Mbps NICs have
more tolerance to signal noise than 100Mbps. 10Mbps can
use CAT3 or CAT5 wire to connect, but 100Mbps requires a
higher quality CAT5 wire.
-
How Many USB
hubs can I connect together? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
In total you should
only connect 5 tiers of USB hubs together. A tier is
defined by the number of hubs a device's signal must pass
through before it reaches the host. For example, using the
DSB-H4, D-Link's 4-port USB hub, you could connect a
theoretical maximum of 341 hubs in five tiers, this would
leave you with an incredible 1024 ports to connect USB
devices! But you should only connect 127 devices together
at any time.
Do not add a 6th tier of USB Hubs. This would violate the
hub cascading rules, and the signals from any devices
attached may not function properly.
Be careful of any compound devices when attaching USB hubs
together, they count as tiers too.
-
What is the
difference between self-powered and bus-powered USB hubs? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
A self-powered hub
plugs into an electrical outlet so that it is better able
to provide connected devices with power. Only low power
USB devices can be connected to a bus-powered hub (like
mice and keyboards). A self-powered hub will allow you to
safely connect other devices that require up to the full
500mA outlined in the USB specification. D-Link offers
self-powered and user-selectable self- or bus-powered
hubs.
-
What are the
differences between Class-I and Class-II Hubs? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
The two types of
hubs are defined by the IEEE802.3u Standard for use in a
Fast Ethernet collision domain. The major difference is
that only one Class-I hub can be used in a collision
domain, and up to two Class-II hubs can be used in a
collision domain with uplink.
-
What is IEEE 802.11
standard? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
The IEEE 802.11
specification is a wireless LAN standard developed by the
IEEE committee in order to specify an "over the air"
interface between a wireless client and a base station or
Access Point, as well as among wireless clients. The IEEE
created the specification but they do not certify
equipment, WECA certifies wireless LAN products.
|
Standard |
Frequency |
Speed |
Encryption |
|
802.11B |
2.4 GHz |
Up to 11Mbps |
64 and 128-bit |
|
802.11B+ |
2.4 GHz |
Up to 22Mbps |
64, 128, and 256-bit |
|
802.11A |
5.0 GHz |
Up to 72Mbps |
64, 128, and 152-bit |
-
What are the
100BASE-TX and 100BASE-FX cabling standards? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
|
100BASE-TX: Fast Ethernet for
Category 5 UTP |
|
Ma. Segment Length |
100m |
|
Cable Type |
Category 5 UTP cable using 22 or
24 AWG unshielded twisted-pair wire with an impedance
of 100 ohms |
|
Connectors |
AT&T 258A RJ-45 connection, EIA/TIA-568B
standard |
|
100BASE-FX: Fast Ethernet for
Fiber Optic Cabling |
|
Max. Segment Length |
For two switches and using
multimode fiber. 412m is allowed. The number is able
to increase to 2Km if the link is full-duplex. For
repeater connection, the length actually is depending
on the type and number of repeaters used. For example,
320m is the maximum network diameter of the repeated
segment for one Class II repeater. |
|
Cable Type |
100BASE-FX physical layer borrows
from FDDI Physical Layer Dependent standard. It uses
multimode (62.5/125um) fiber cabling. |
|
Connectors |
SC, MIC and ST. The ST connector
appears to be the most popular now because of lower
cost. |
-
What kind of cables do I
use with USB? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
USB cable will
usually have both "A" type (downstream) and "B" type
(upstream) connectors. Unshielded USB cables running at
1.5Mb will have a maximum cable length of 3 meters.
Shielded USB cables running at 12MB will have a maximum
cable length of 5 meters. This simple scheme will ensure
that users will not be able to plug cables in wrong, since
the connectors are unique in size and shape.
-
What are the benefits of USB? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
-
Easier to add new
peripherals: Windows 98 and Windows 95 R2 will
automatically recognize devices when you plug them in.
-
Quicker
installation of new peripherals: You won't have to
reboot during installation.
-
Faster: Top USB
data speed is around 100 times faster than the fastest
serial connection.
-
Greater
Expandability: Using USB hubs you can connect up to 127
devices to your computer, not be limited to the number
of serial ports, parallel ports, or IRQ's on your
computer.
-
Hot Swappable:
Changing connected USB devices is as easy as changing a
light bulb, just disconnect the old and plug in the new.
No need to power down or fumble with drivers. They just
plug and go!
-
Eliminates need
for external power supplies: fewer plugs to deal with,
and lower cost peripherals.
-
Meets-On-Now
industry initiative guidelines: will help to build a
future where the computer will be able to better manage
power consumption and more seamlessly integrate into our
lives.
-
Lower peripheral
costs: It helps drive down the cost of computer
peripherals by eliminating external power supplies,
allowing manufacturers to standardize their products to
a single connector, creating a larger customer base by
providing the same peripherals for Macs, PCs, and
Portables, and reducing returns due to wrong connector
types.
-
How can I find the IP
address of my computer? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
[For Windows 98,
2000, ME and XP]
-
Step 1:
Click on "Start" and select "Run".
-
Step 2:
Type "cmd" then click "OK".
-
Step 3:
From the Command Prompt, enter "ipconfig". It will
return your IP address, subnet mask, and default
gateway.
-
Step 4:
Type "exit" to close the command prompt.
-
How do I
know if I have a Cardbus controller on my laptop? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Some of our PCMCIA
Network adapters require the laptop to have a 32 bit
PCMCIA slot. You can check to see if your computer has a
32bit Cardbus card slot from Device Manager.
For Win 95/98/Me
-
Step 1:
Right-Click "My Computer" and select "Properties"
-
Step 2:
Select the "Device Manager" tab and expand PCMCIA
Sockets by clicking the plus sign
-
Step 3:
There must be a listing for Cardbus or the PCMCIA slot
is only 16 bit.
Win 2000/XP
-
Step 1:
Right-Click "My Computer" and select "Properties"
-
Step 2:
Select "Hardware" and then click on "Device Manager"
-
Step 3:
Expand PCMCIA Adapters by clicking the plus sign
-
Step 4:
There must be a listing for Cardbus or the PCMCIA slot
is only 16 bit.
{Make sure your laptop has the latest BIOS. Check with
the manufacturer for the lastest BIOS upgrade.}
-
Why can't I ping any other
computers on the network? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Please do the
following check to verify the cause of this problem:
-
In Control Panel
-> System -> Device Manager -> Network Adapters, check
the NIC status.
If the NIC has Question mark or Yellow '!' mark, please
remove existing driver and re-install it.
-
In Control Panel
-> Network -> TCP/IP, select Properties -> IP Address
Make sure the IP address setting and subnet mask are
suitable for your network environment.
Note: There are
three classes of IP address:
-
Class A
(255.0.0.0)
-
Class B
(255.255.0.0)
-
Class C
(255.255.255.0)
-
How do
I know if my network adapter is working or not? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Look at the card
itself. If your computer is up and running and connected
to a switch, hub or another computer directly with a
crossover cable and the light is illuminated next to where
the cable is plugged into it, then that is a good
indicator of whether or not the card is working.
Another good way to test the card is to assign an IP
address to the card in the TCP/IP properties for the card
in the Network Properties control panel. After you assign
the card an IP address and a subnet mask, you can use the
ping utility from a DOS prompt to test the card. If you
get four replies when pinging, it is another very good
sign that the card is functioning properly.
Using the Ping command:
-
Step 1:
Open the MS-DOS program on your computer.
-
Step 2:
From the default location, enter the word ping, a space
and then the IP address of your network card. Hit the
Enter key on your keyboard.
-
A response of
four replies indicates that the network card is properly
installed and that TCP/IP is correctly bound to the
card.
-
How do I know if my wireless products are Wi-Fi certified? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
To check if your
wireless products are Wi-Fi Certified you can go to
http://www.wi-fi.org
-
What kinds of modems or what types of Internet access do
Xterasys routers work with? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Xterasys routers only work with
external cable or DSL modems featuring Ethernet ports.
They do not work with ISDN or satellite connections, and
they do not work with dial-up modems or modems featuring
USB or RJ-11 connections.
-
What operating systems are Xterasys routers compatible
with? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Xterasys routers are compatible with
any platform that supports Ethernet and TCP/IP, including
Windows 98, Millennium, 2000, and XP, as well as Linux and
Macintosh. On Linux and Macintosh systems, you cannot use
the Windows-based Setup Wizard, but you can access the
router's configuration options via the Internet web
browser on your Linux system or via Internet Explorer or
Netscape Navigator (versions 4.0 or higher) on Macintosh
systems.
-
Does a router
replace the modem? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
No, the router must be connected to a
cable or DSL modem.
-
What products do I need to let two desktop computers share
my high-speed Internet access? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
You need a router. The Router with
4-Port Switch will enable your computers to share Internet
access. If your computers do not have network adapters,
then install a 10/100 LAN Card on each computer. To
connect the computers to the Router, use Category 5
Ethernet network cables (the Router comes with one cable).
-
Are Xterasys routers compatible with PPPoE Internet
connections? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Yes.
-
How can I add wireless capability to my existing wired
network? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
You can buy the Wireless Access Point
, and connect it to the Router. You also need to get
wireless network adapters for the computers you want on
your wireless network. For notebook computers, get the
Wireless-B Notebook Adapter. For desktop computers, get
the Wireless PCI Card.
-
Can I use a wireless access point to connect multiple
computers to my cable/DSL modem for shared Internet
access? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
No, to share Internet access, you
need a router.
-
Can I do wired and wireless networking using one router? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Yes. Our Wireless Broadband Routers
have four Ethernet ports and support up to 32 wireless
users.
-
What's the difference between a Wireless Access Point and
a Wireless Broadband Router? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
A Wireless Access Point connects to
another hub, switch, or router for wireless access, while
a Wireless Broadband Router has access point capabilities
for wireless access and routing features to share the
broadband connection.
-
What kinds of modems or what types of Internet access do
Xterasys routers work with? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Xterasys routers only work with
external cable or DSL modems featuring Ethernet ports.
They do not work with ISDN or satellite connections, and
they do not work with dial-up modems or modems featuring
USB or RJ-11 connections.
-
What is a Network? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
In information technology, a network
is a series of points or nodes interconnected by
communication paths. Networks can interconnect with other
networks and contain sub-networks.
-
What is
Networking? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
In information technology, networking is the
construction, design, and use of network, including the physical
(cabling, hub, bridge, switch, router, and so forth), the selection and use of
telecommunication protocol and computer software for using and managing
the network, and the establishment of operation policies and
procedures related to the network.
-
What should I do
with the message box prompted for IP address conflict? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
When you see the message box prompted for IP address
conflict, this means two or more workstations has the same
IP address.
If you have setup your device as a DHCP server, please run
the "winipcfg" utility to "release" all current
configuration first, then "renew" the IP information again.
If the DHCP function is disabled and static IP addresses are
assigned to each workstation, please double check each
workstation's IP address for duplicate IP.
-
Windows can't
locate the driver for HPNA device. (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
You may have inserted the wrong disk into your PC's
disk drive. The disk may be defective, files may be
missing, or you may be pointing Windows to the wrong
directory or drive.
-
If I used DHCP to configure my network,
how do I refresh my IP address without restarting my
computer? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
From a command prompt (DOS
SHELL) type:
-
IPCONFIG /RELEASE
-
IPCONFIG /RENEW
-
How do I know my IP address? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
-
For Windows 95/98/ME select 'run' from the start menu and
type WINIPCFG.
-
For NT/2000/XP from the start menu, select RUN and type CMD. This will bring up a command shell. From the command
shell, your IPCONFIG.
If You also want to know the MAC address, please run
IPCONFIG /ALL.
-
Why doesn't the NetMeeting/MSN
Messenger/ICQ work through IP Sharing? (back to
FAQ | About Networking)
Applications that use dynamic
session initiations, such as NetMeeting and MSN Messenger,
require either special support in the firmware of the NAT
device or the use of UPnP and a UPnP aware NAT device.
Dynamic Session Initiations
Dynamic session initiations are conversations, often carried
out over a dedicated protocol (such as Session Initiation
Protocol or SIP), which arrange the parameters (addresses,
ports, etc.) for other conversations. They are roughly
analogous to FTP control connections (active mode transfers
are similarly broken by NAT) and are commonly used in
multimedia software such as MSN Messenger and NetMeeting.
Two problems arise when used over NAT:
-
IP addresses are often passed as data in the session
initiation. The software will pass the address of a private
host to the other end and the following connection will
fail.
-
Ports are negotiated dynamically. You can't create port
mappings to allow inbound connections to the program since
you don't know what ports will be used.
The problem can be solved in one of three ways:
-
Write special code to properly translate the information
passed in session initiation and / or act upon special
events in the conversation. This technique is used so that
active FTP connections may take place where port 20 is
temporarily mapped to the appropriate private host on
detection of a PORT command from that host.
-
Write special code to proxy (make on behalf of and
intermediate) the required connections, also known as an
'Application Layer Gateway'.
-
Allow a remote program to control port mappings on the NAT
device and retrieve its global address to pass in session
initiations. This has been realised in the form of UPnP
enabled NAT devices - see here.
-
Note that the first two solutions involve specialized code
to support each application and are therefore limited by
developer inclination and available router memory space.
-
Note also that if IP addresses are not passed in session
initiation or the problem is just that incoming connections
to many ports are required, it may be solved by a feature
known as 'default server' or 'DMZ'. Defining the default
server or DMZ to be a private host causes the router to pass
all unsolicited traffic to that host. This removes the
protection of NAT from that host although translation still
takes place.
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